Rotary engine



i (No Model.) I ZSheets-Sheet T. LATCH.

ROTARY ENGINE.v

No 455,668. Patented July '7, 1891.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

y T LATCH ROTARY ENGINE,

No. 455,668. Patented July 7, '1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE LATCH, OF JOLIET, lLLlNOlS.

ao'rARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 455,668, dated July 7,1891. Application filed February 24, 1890. Serial No. 341,497. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE LATCH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Joliet, in the county of Will and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines 3 and ldo hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention consists in a new and improved. rotary steam-engine, whichwill be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figurel is a side view of theengine with the cylinder-head on that side removed. Fig. 2 is aperspective plan view of the inner side of one of the cylinder-heads.Fig. 3 is an end view, partly in section. Fig. 4 is a sectional viewtaken on the plane indicated by line d 4, Fig. l; and Fig. 5 is a detailview of one of the valves.

The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

' Referring to the several parts by letter, A indicates the cylinder ofmy new and improved steam-engine, which may be of any desired size, A Aindicating the heads of the cylinder.

B indicates the drive-shaft, which is journaled in the ends or heads ofthe cylinder,and on which the rotary piston is mounted.

On the inner side of each cylinder-head is formed a segmental block C,through which is formed an inlet passage or port D for the entrance ofthe steam from the boiler to act upon the piston.

Upon the drive-shaft B is secured the piston, consisting of a centralhub G, the central disk H, formed with theopenings H', and the curvedshoes I, secured to the out-er edge of the said disk, as shown. In theopenings H of the disk H are pivoted or hinged the valves L, which arearranged in pairs, as shown, to open out on opposite sides of thecentral disk. lTo the opposite edgesof the openings H are securedsprings K, which prevent the valves from closing flush with the face ofthe disk, holding their free ends out a little above the sides of thedisk.

The hub G and the inner side of the shoes I near their ends are formedwith the shoulders J J coinciding with the hinge or pivotal points ofthe pairs of valves, so that when the valves open out at right angles tothe disk H they Willcome in contact with these shoulders.

The operation of my rotary engine is as follows: The steam en tersthrough the inletports D on each side of the piston, the inner ends ofthese ports being at the inner edge of that end of the block C, asshown, when the steam presses under the slightly-raised free ends of thepair of valves at that end of the blocks C, forcing the hinged valvesopen until they come-in contact with the shoulders J J when they areheld open at right angles to the disk H. The steam pressing againstthese valves forces the piston around, carrying with it thedrive-shaft,andwhen these valves have completed one-third of arevolution the next pair of valves clear the end of the blocks C andcome into play, the steam pressing them open, as before described. XVheneach pair of valves has completed about twothirds of a full revolution,they come in contact with the curved rear ends C of the blocks C, and asthey pass under these blocks the blocks press them in, closing them intotheir Y normal position against the springs K, which hold their freeends a little above the sides of the disk H to permit the steam to enterunder the said free ends when the valves have cleared the inlet. end ofthe blocks. The steam exhausts through the exhaust-ports E,placed at therear ends of the blocks C.

A suitable elastic or spring packing is inserted in the free edges ofthe valves L transversely across the outer faces of the shoes I andtransversely across t-he segmental blocks C to make thoroughlysteam-tight joints at the points specified, and as any Well-known formof packing can be used I have not deemed it necessary to illustrate thesaid packing.

From the foregoing description7 taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction and operation of my new andimproved rotary engine will be readily understood. lt will be seen thatmy rotary engine is very simple and strong in its construction andthoroughly efficient and satisfactory in its operation.

IOC

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. Avalve for rotary-engine pistons, consisting of hinged plates adaptedto open and close on opposite faces of the piston, substantially as setforth.

2. The combination of the cylinder having the internal segmental endblocks C, the inlet-ports D, the outlet-ports E, a piston, and thevalves hinged to the piston at one or more points in its oircuInferenceAand adapted to fold together on both faces of the piston when passingthe blocks C and to be opened out on both faces of the piston by thesteam ftlr clearing said blocks, substantially as set 3. The combinationof the cylinder having the internal segmental end blocks (J, theinlet-ports D, the outlet-ports E, the piston secured to the drive-shaftand Consisting of the hub .formed with the shoulders J, the disk H,formed with the openings Il', and the curved shoes I, formed with theshoulders J', the oppositely-openin g Valves L, hinged in pairs to thepiston-disk and opening out on both faces 0f the same, and the springsK, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signa ture in presence of two witnesses.

TI-IEODORE LATCH.

IVitnesses:

HERBERT BECK, HENRY SALLENBACH.

